Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers starting lineups and depth charts for January 21 | 2023-24 NBA Season

The Portland Trail Blazers face the LA Lakers on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The tipoff is at 10:00 p.m. ET. This will be their third game of the season, with the Lakers winning both, and is part of the NBA's six-game-slate schedule.

The game will be broadcast locally on Spectrum Sports Net for home TV and Root Sports Plus for away TV, including live streaming access through NBA League Pass and Fubo TV, which offer free trials to get NBA TV for a week.

The Lakers (21-22) are 10th in the West, dropping their last game at home to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, 112-130. Cam Thomas scored 33 points off the bench to upset the Lakers. LA has gone 4-6 in its last ten games.

The Blazers (12-29) are 14th in the West and are coming off a back-to-back win against the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers. However, they have lost seven of their last ten. They have a -9.2 net rating (28th), including an offensive rating of 108.0 (29th) and a defensive rating of 117.3 (21st).

Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers: Injuries

Portland Trail Blazers injuries for Jan. 21

The Blazers have five players on their injury list. SG Anfernee Simons (illness) and PG Scoot Henderson (nasal contusion) are questionable for the game. And SG Shaedon Sharpe (thigh), C Moses Brown (left shoulder) and C Robert Williams III (right knee) are out.

La Lakers injuries for Jan. 21

The Lakers have five players on their injury list. PF Taurean Prince (left knee) is out, while SF LeBron James (ankle) and PF Anthony Davis (Achilles) and SF Cam Reddish (knee) are available, and PG Gabe Vincent (left knee) is out.

Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers: Starting lineups and depth chart

Portland Trail Blazers starting lineup and depth chart

	Starter	2nd	3rd
PG	Malcolm Brogdon	Scoot Henderson
SG	Anfernee Simons	Matisse Thybulle
SF	Jerami Grant	Kris Murray
PF	Jabari Walker	Toumani Camara
C	Deandre Ayton	Duop Reath	Ibou Badji

(*) Questionable

LA Lakers starting lineup and depth chart

	Starter	2nd	3rd
PG	D'Angelo Russell	Skylar Mays	Jalen Hood-Schifino
SG	Austin Reaves	Max Christie
SF	Rui Hachimura	Cam Reddish
PF	LeBron James	Jarred Vanderbilt	Colin Castleton
C	Anthony Davis	Christian Wood	Jaxson Hayes

Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers: Key matchups

Jerami Grant vs LeBron James

Jerami Grant is having a career year despite the team's struggles. He is averaging 21.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.8 steals per game, shooting 46.1%, including 40.9% from the three.

LeBron James is having an unprecedented year as a 39-year-old. He is averaging 24.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 7.5 apg and 1.4 steals on 52.0% shooting, including 39.2% from the three.

James has a 20-5 winning record over Grant, including a 4-1 record in playoffs.

Scoot Henderson vs Anthony Davis

Scoot Henderson is playing well in his recent performances. In the last three games, he's averaging 16.7 ppg, 4.3 apg and 4.0 rpg. His explosiveness and quickness are his strengths, which he looks to use in transition and pick and rolls to get to the rim.

Anthony Davis is showcasing an outstanding defensive performance this season with a defensive rating of 108.5. Alongside his defensive prowess, he has contributed significantly on the offensive end, averaging 25.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals.

In the upcoming game, anticipate frequent matchups between Davis and Henderson. Davis will likely be assigned to defend Henderson, posing a challenge for the rookie, particularly in contesting shots around the rim. This defensive matchup will be one to watch as both players bring their skills to the forefront.